Walking the Wharfe, Bradt Travel Guide

In a world of globetrotting explorers and record-breaking journeys - of which he has been part himself - Johno Ellison decided to return to his roots and walk the entire length of the River Wharfe, the Yorkshire waterway beside which he grew up. In his new book for Bradt, Walking the Wharfe, Ellison retraces the steps of Victorian author Edmund Bogg to investigate how the riverscape and its communities have evolved during the intervening 120 years. While wild camping, meeting modern-day Vikings, wartime ghosts and the fearless 'Dales Dippers', and learning how not to deal with a herd of over-inquisitive cows, Ellison encounters a microcosm of English history and culture. Starting in the Vale of York, Ellison walks upstream to explore the region's Viking and Roman heritage, as well as more modern developments such as Tadcaster's disastrous bridge collapse in 2015. He examines a profusion of Victorian spa towns, considers the impact of the Industrial Revolution and enjoys rare wildlife such as red kites and an otter, creatures that have returned to the area following successful conservation initiatives.